The Wayniac Nationhttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com
Bringing you the world of sports one snarky day at a time! Official Unofficial Sponsor of Dunton's Masters Pool.Wed, 13 Dec 2017 23:07:59 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngThe Wayniac Nationhttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com
Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow: becoming The Wayniachttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/adieu-adieu-parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/adieu-adieu-parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow/#commentsThu, 02 Mar 2017 22:03:20 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9406Continue reading Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow: becoming The Wayniac→]]>There are a lot of emotions I have right now. For over three years I’ve shared with you my feelings on sports, so there is no reason to hide my feelings from you now.

Especially, on the last blog of The Wayniac Nation.

Well, maybe not the last ever, but we are going on a hiatus for awhile.

This is the real story. This is who I am. This is how I became The Wayniac.

I had been all over the career roller coaster and wound up settling in as a server at a restaurant to pay off some debt. I paid off that debt and in 2012 started traveling all over this country, and even another, deciding on what my next move was.

The money had gotten so good at this restaurant, that I became too comfortable. Getting out of debt became a year. A year became two years. The next thing I knew, I was celebrating my three-year anniversary there.

On January 1, 2014 I signed up for WordPress. By January 11th, 2014 my first blog was written. While I agree whole-heartedly with the message, it makes me cringe to read, clearly showing how much of a newbie I was to this world. Take a look if you’d like.

Having little experience in journalistic endeavors, I gave myself a five-year plan. Kind of like going to college all over again, because that’s honestly what I was doing. It was to learn the idiosyncrasies of blogging and develop myself into a writer that could land a job somewhere doing what I love.

I graduated with an English degree. I went to graduate school for education, specifically on how to teach high school English. People think that it was such an easy transition. The truth is, it wasn’t. I was educated in and later taught literature and creative writing. These two things are the furthest style of writing from journalism you could imagine.

Simply put, I had no idea what I was doing.

That’s what has made it exciting.

That five-year plan took a month for me to get a shot. Sure, it was a fanboy blog at Yanks Go Yard, but I was being read by thousands of people a month. I realized I had to accelerate that learning curve, because I was in the search engine of the Internet now. If I wanted people to take me seriously, my writing had to improve.

Billy and Jason gave me every shot, giving me my own feature, The Bronx is Boiling, every week for almost two years. They also introduced me to what would become one of calling cards when they made me part of their minor league team. Who knew, right?

Honestly, because of them, I have had a lot of opportunity. When I tried for freelance gigs, people would ask me to show them what I’ve done, and at that point what I had done was this blog and Yanks Go Yard. I have told them numerous times how grateful I am.

It kind of took off from there. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m still a guppy in an ocean of whales — I am still a nobody — but if you asked me back in January of 2014 if this is what I thought 2017 would be like, I’d tell you you were nuts.

I still think it’s pretty nuts. But at least I’m a nobody that gets to write.

I’ll never forget Duane and Craig sending me to Cary, N.C. to cover the College Cup and walking into that press box for the first time. I sat right between the soccer guy from the Washington Post and another reporter from ESPN.

This wasn’t the local beat writers of minor league ball. This was real.

People that know me, I mean really know me, know how hard I have fought anxiety. I don’t get anxious, I get crippled. It’s a fight I deal with every interview and every second a piece I write goes on the Internet or is published.

But at the end of the day, it’s like a roller coaster, and adds to the excitement of the ride.

That anxiety is the exact reason I never wanted fame. I couldn’t imagine having to be on TV or the radio, but after a few times doing the latter, it isn’t so bad.

All I wanted was a career that could support my family. And after 38 years on this planet, I narrowed down what I was good at: talking sports and writing. Seriously. That’s all I came up with.

While I am not there yet, the grind will forever continue. And I’m ok with that. I actually like it. The past three-plus years… like I said, it’s unfathomable.

I’ve interviewed Olympians, Hall of Famers, NBA and MLB champions, and All Stars. I’ve interviewed a bevy of baseball’s Top 100 prospects. I was the Rome Braves beat writer for FanRag Sports and had Jon Heyman share my articles regularly with a cool comment often added. And I write for John Sickels at Minor League Ball.

You have no idea how humbling it is to work for a man on top of the game and as well respected as John Sickels is. When I would walk into a clubhouse or press box and people would see my credentials they would immediately say, “Oh, you work for John Sickels! I’ve read his stuff for decades.” It helped me acclimate because people assumed if John let me write for him, I was something special myself.

Man, were they wrong. Secretly, I was shaking in my boots, hoping that I wouldn’t mess up or analyze a prospect wrong.

As the seasons passed, something weird happened. First, they would say the same thing. But then they would add, “Wait — you wrote that piece on Prospect SoAndSo. That was great analysis.” To be perfectly honest, I still don’t know how to respond when people say that. I still feel that I have so much to learn that I still feel no one has ever read the best I have to offer.

But I say thank you, trembling on the inside, hoping I don’t let them down analyzing whichever prospect I’m on hand to see.

I’m not where I need to be, but at the same time, I’m further along my timeline than I expected. I am enjoying the ride. And I’m busier than ever.

Things have changed a lot since that first blog. My girlfriend is my wife. Our expenses have shifted from paying off debt to keeping our little princess happy. And I write for anyone that will let me.

That means sacrifices have to be made. To take The Wayniac Nation to the next level, I need time and money to make this site what it needs to be. Right now, I just don’t have the time to justify the money.

I think back to 2014. I am so in debt to Mary for teaching me how to use social media and in doing so, creating the persona known as The Wayniac. Varrass edited every article I wrote for six months. Just to help. Heim, someone I hadn’t spoken to since I graduated high school, wrote articles with me to help expand my viewership. I am forever grateful to those guys.

After years of asking, I finally got my brother to chip in. All it took was his beloved Cubs making the World Series. And his piece got retweeted by Cubs beat writers, and shared on MLB Blogs and MLB Trade Rumors. Yea, it’s still one of our most viewed pieces.

The Thread. Where would this blog be without them? Nomi the Greek, Kid Robot, Saucy T, The Englishman, Sperry Mason, Jaybird, Nick the Greek, and Mark.9 The Game. They’ve provided endless amounts of pieces for me. Starts and sits, Super Bowl previews, Atlanta homer pieces. And all the discussions we’ve had on that silly text thread that started four years ago and has driven my wife mad ever since. DING. DING. DING DING DING. DING.

JD and Cochran. No matter how little times you contributed, you did. I thank you guys for that as well.

Same goes to Teddy Ballgame. Fantasy superstar.

My Delaware guys chipped in too. Benny gave some fantasy advice. Fee became my DFS guy. Ryan took the world by storm with his Top 10s. Jared, or as you know him SBJ, became a weekly columnist. Never asked for a dime. Just wanted to help the Nation grow. The amount he grew as a writer was one of the coolest things about this blog.

(Edit: I want to give a shoutout to Stephen here as well. Although he didn’t write an article, he always had a humorous comment to add.)

That brings me to Dunton. Dunton has been my wingman since pretty much day one. He’s written more articles than anyone on the site next to me. As much as I love each and everyone of you for helping, no one has done more for Wayniac Nation than Dunton. And nothing was more awesome than when his daughter’s piece on the Green Bay Packers was picked up by Pro Football Rumors.

Lastly, the Wifeyiac. Just typing this gets me a bit emotional. She was my girlfriend when I started this blog. We experienced our lives together. Once a month — if not more — I wanted to quit. She wouldn’t let me. She never lets me. She is my motivation as to why I will continue to grind it out everyday.

2016 was such an odd year for us. We lost our home, two cars died out on us, we each lost a job, but then everything kind of turned this weird corner. We had this amazing daughter, my work became more plentiful and Nikki found her dream job. There was plenty of times I wanted to quit just to get a job that could pay the bills, but we fought through it together, some nights going to bed hungry, other nights not going to bed at all while she rocked our daughter back to bed and I worked on some random job to pay a bill.

And right now, it seems like she pushed us all in the right direction.

She is my ultimate backbone. I have said it 1000 times, so why not one more. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it wasn’t for her pushing me. I certainly wouldn’t be the father I am.

To make it in this industry, you have to grind it out, especially when you are years behind the learning curve as I am. For the past few months, I haven’t written many articles here at The Nation and the viewership has struggled.

I’m sad that the end is near, but it is ok. I have experienced the best three-plus years of my life, and it’s thanks to The Wayniac Nation.

When considering what I had to cut out, it really came down to this. Instead of waking up at the crack of dawn, brain storming ideas and going off on a tangent for the latest Wayniac Nation post, I simply wanted to use that time to eat breakfast with my family.

Yet again, I think it’s the right choice.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who has read even just one piece. Thank you for all the shares on Facebook and Twitter and positive emails and notes you have sent me over the years. Thank you to every person who has paid me to do what I love. I have had more fun being The Wayniac than you could possibly imagine. And I couldn’t have without you.

The site will still be alive, but on the free level. Maybe I’ll chip in a blog here and there, and hopefully in the summer, when things simmer down a bit, I’ll rethink where I am and bring back The Wayniac.

It’s time for me to be Wayne. The Wayniac has done his job better than I could have ever hoped for. He deserves the rest.

I didn’t have to write this farewell. Like I said, I’m still a nobody in this huge world of journalists. The Wayniac Nation could have disappeared and no one really would have noticed.

But I felt I owed it to you guys. To the people who have given me everything and more. To share my story, and let you know that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

Unless you’re Tim Tebow. Man, just hang it up already, would ya?

]]>https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/adieu-adieu-parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow/feed/6sportstate3thewayniacMLB Draft Profile: Garrett Cave and Garett King amongst the best DII has to offerhttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/mlb-draft-profile-garrett-cave-and-garett-king-amongst-the-best-dii-has-to-offer/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/mlb-draft-profile-garrett-cave-and-garett-king-amongst-the-best-dii-has-to-offer/#respondFri, 24 Feb 2017 16:02:34 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9404Continue reading MLB Draft Profile: Garrett Cave and Garett King amongst the best DII has to offer→]]>Spring training is upon us, but more importantly, college baseball has begun. While it is easy to keep up with the top high school prospects and Division I talents ready for June’s MLB Draft, there are often a few under the radar guys lurking in DII and DIII baseball just itching to make an impact.

Garret Cave, RHP, Tampa Spartans

The University of Tampa has become the DII powerhouse in baseball. Head coach Joe Urso and associate head coach Sam Militello have teamed together for 17 seasons now, bringing home four national championships under their reign.

Having the experience of being a major league pitcher, Militello has been hands on in developing the pitching in Florida. This year, he has Florida International transfer Garrett Cave leading his staff.

“I throw a four-seam and two-seam fastball, a curveball, change-up, and a cutter. The pitch I really have all of my confidence and heart in is my fastball. It has been a pitch that has always worked for me, especially since God has blessed me with the ability to throw hard. I have great confidence in my off speed as well but when I know I can put away a batter with a well placed fastball, thats what I love to do. The pitch that I need to keep working on is the cutter only because I started throwing it this summer. It has shown a lot of potential and Im excited to start utilizing it.”

I spoke to both Militello and Cave on Tampa’s expectations this season, as well as what makes Cave so special. You can read that piece by clicking the link below:

Garett King, Cal Baptist, RHP

One thing head coach Gary Adcock has become known for in his time at the helms of the California Baptist Lancers is producing quality pitching for the professional level. Each draft since 2010 has seen at least one of his pitchers get selected in June’s MLB Draft. Names such as Caleb Dirks, Trevor Oaks and last year’s fourth-rounder Tyson Miller (Chicago Cubs) have settled in nicely as major league prospects.

This season he gets to work with three new arms. Justin Montgomery and Logan Rinehart are young and improving daily, but Nebraska transfer Garett King has stolen the show.

Like Cave — who was a 2014 draft pick for the Yankees — King was selected in the 2014 draft out of high school by the New York Mets. If you’re curious about his makeup what he told me about his decision speaks volumes.

“I knew I was going to be going to college. I was 159 pounds when I graduated high school. I was a string bean. I was 17 years old. I wasn’t ready to go handle minor league baseball, physically or mentally. Going to Nebraska, away from home, kind of prepared me for that lifestyle.”

King struggled on opening day but has settled down, winning his last three starts. He now sits at 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA, striking out 31 and walking just three over 2.67 ERA. He described his arsenal as:

“My curveball is my go-pitch. It’s kind of a plus-pitch that I’ve been known for the past couple years to get people out. My fastball command has always been a strength of mine. I really rely heavily on those two things. I’ve got the slider to back it up and I actually started to work on a split-change in the bullpen this week. We’ll see how that goes. It felt good in the pen, if I could translate that to the game it would be fantastic.”

You can read my full interview with King — Baseball America’s second rated DII draft prospect — and Montgomery on what makes Cal Baptist such a special place for pitchers to mature by clicking on the link below:

]]>https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/mlb-draft-profile-garrett-cave-and-garett-king-amongst-the-best-dii-has-to-offer/feed/0mlb-draft-2015-board-podium-getty.0.0thewayniacAn open letter to New York Yankees fanshttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/an-open-letter-to-new-york-yankees-fans/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/an-open-letter-to-new-york-yankees-fans/#commentsTue, 21 Feb 2017 16:02:44 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9390Continue reading An open letter to New York Yankees fans→]]>Dear Yankees fans,

I have a bone to pick. There is something that has entered our lexicon over the past few seasons, and to be honest, I have grown quite weary of it. It may alienate me some, and come with some backlash, but that’s the risk I need to take.

The New York Yankees have not had the seasons the past half of a decade that they have become accustomed to. While they have never posted a losing record, playoff appearances have been sparse and unimpressive.

Furthermore, the sons of Steinbrenner and — most recently — people like Randy Levine have made questionable moves and comments along the way.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like how the Steinbrenner boys handle the team, and I wrote last year how Levine makes it harder to root for my beloved team every time he opens his mouth. But every time something happens, we hear the now infamous phrase:

“George would be rolling in his grave.”

Go ahead. Look across the Internet. There are fans far and wide in every forum imaginable who say this every time something goes wrong. Somewhere along the way, George Steinbrenner became a saint that seemingly did no wrong.

The Boss loved to win. He probably owned that passion more than any other owner in the history of the game. He simply hated to lose.

But he did. And he did it for one of the longest periods in Yankees history.

Do you know why?

He constantly meddled. The moves he made were often on a whim, taking little input from advisors that knew baseball. A large part of the reason the Yankees were bad in the 1980s and early 90s was because of George Steinbrenner.

The entire 1980s was spent signing big name offensive superstars to surround his MVP first baseman Don Mattingly. He paid zero attention to the pitching staff and while seemingly never looking to bring in a verifiable ace, he gave Steve Howe eight million chances.

Sound familiar?

There was no stability in the Bronx. He went through 20 managerial changes in his first 23 years. That was why it was so hard to get a legitimate manager to lead this team. Stump Merrill? And you young ‘uns hate Joe Girardi, sheesh.

Steinbrenner drove high-profiled superstars away from the Bronx and made many others not want to play here. I suppose people forget how he embarrassed his entire 1981 club by publicly apologizing to New York for losing a World Series. I suppose people forget that the Yankees drafted Bo Jackson, who said he would never play for a man like George Steinbrenner. I guess people forgot the interactions between Reggie Jackson and The Boss.

It was simple. If your ego and star power became bigger than Steinbrenner’s you were shown the door or made to feel like such a chump that you wanted to leave.

And for all of you up in arms about the current situation between Levine and Dellin (or as he pronounced, Dylan) Betances, you obviously have turned a blind eye on how Steinbrenner dealt with a one Dave Winfield.

Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball for three years for how he handled Winfield, for crying out loud. Yet, the second Levine made his remarks, it was, “George would be rolling in his grave.”

Call it insubordination, since Showalter refused to fire Rick Down, but it could have been Steinbrenner’s stubbornness as well. Instead he hired Joe Torre, who led a team he had nothing to do with to greatness, cashing in his ticket into the Hall of Fame.

Have you looked at Torre’s track record before and after the Yankees? Have you looked at Showalter’s? Torre couldn’t manage his way out of a closet. He wasn’t a talented game manager, he was an exceptional player manager. He kept the high-profile celebrities on the 90s Yankees in check, and he defended their actions, sometimes defying Steinbrenner along the way.

The difference between he and the other 19 managers before him was one simple thing. Well, four if you think about it. 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

George was no saint. While it may be true that George would be rolling in his grave, he would likely be rolling in his grave how unappreciative Yankees fans have become with above .500 seasons. It is World Series or bust each season, but if you can’t tell, the past two years, they have had a plan in place. The roster and farm system in place now is the best it has been in a long time.

This whole mantra had to be created by a younger generation of fans, one not accustomed to losing. One that reads things on Wikipedia instead of remembering watching the boisterous news conferences The Boss loved to hold on WPIX.

Steinbrenner was alive and well, with a hands on approach — albeit cutback from his early years — until 2006. That means he was the one who hired Brian Cashman, who takes the brunt of many a Yankees fans complaints. That means he was the one who transitioned the 2001 Yankees back to an era of high-priced egos that simply didn’t mesh with the Bronx and the championship attitude. Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, those were all moves made under The Boss’s watch.

They were all terrible for the Yankees.

The simple truth is that if George Steinbrenner was on any other team, you’d hold him in the same regard as Jerry Jones and Al Davis. The reason Larry David was able to make him such a funny character on Seinfeld was because he played him as the maniacal, ego maniac that older Yankees fans remember him as.

It’s also important to remember one thing. The Yankees won 20 of their 27 championships before the Steinbrenner regime. They were good long before The Boss and they will achieve another era of greatness when — and if — they are all gone.

So while the Yankees continue to be a billion dollar enterprise, enjoying the confines of their still brand new stadium, having not put up a losing record since 1992 (the longest streak in the majors incidentally) I think ol’ George is enjoying the afterlife just fine.

Let him be.

]]>https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/an-open-letter-to-new-york-yankees-fans/feed/4George Steinbrenner, Billy MartinthewayniacCraig Sager, Keith Brooking highlight Atlanta Sports Hall of Famehttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/craig-sager-keith-brooking-highlight-atlanta-sports-hall-of-fame/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/craig-sager-keith-brooking-highlight-atlanta-sports-hall-of-fame/#respondSat, 18 Feb 2017 16:03:11 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9365Continue reading Craig Sager, Keith Brooking highlight Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame→]]>The five newest inductees of the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame were honored at the Buckhead Theatre Friday evening. While all of those enshrined last night were deserving, my friends and I were on hand to watch the late Craig Sager get inducted.

As I have previously written, Sager was the driving force behind Jocks and Jills in Atlanta. Before there were 100s of Taco Macs, Hudson Grille’s, STATS and Dantanas on every corner, there was one real sports bar in Atlanta. Sager opened the bar with local Atlanta Hawks stars like Doc Rivers, Randy Whitman and Scott Hastings on 10th Street in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. Eventually stores opened in the CNN Center, Brookhaven and the outreaches of suburban Atlanta. I feel like I worked a shift at everyone of them.

It created a weird family that is still very much alive today, nearly a decade after all but one of the stores closed their doors for good. It was often brought together by a Christmas party hosted at one of the locations, or birthdays, or weddings, or a massive trip to the Braves game on one of the legendary Jocks and Jills/ Frankies Braves Bus Trips. And it was largely in thanks to Sager.

That’s how we remember him. His funny suits donned the walls of our restaurants, and sure, we saw him on every big screen TV that was up in the bar when he was on the sidelines. But he was always in the bar as well, grabbing a Bud Light in a tumbler and chatting it up with anyone who would listen.

Flash forward seven years and now I work with Turner, the company Craig was part of for so many years. You really get to see how many lives he touched when you are surrounded by so many people from so many different walks of life that get excited or sad by the mention of his name. Even in his speech, Craig Sager, Jr. touched on how his father knew his fellow inductees. Whether it was going to Keith Brooking bobblehead day or running the Peachtree Road Race (which any of us who worked at Jocks Midtown knew that Craig always stopped off for a beer before the finish line at Park Tavern), Sager exemplified Atlanta to its fullest.

I thought I would share some sights and sounds from the festivities. (Thanks to Wendy Cochran for some of the photography and video).

Julia Emmons headed the Atlanta Track Club from 1985 to 2006. She ran this little thing called the Peachtree Road Race and made it into the July 4th Weekend event that it has become. If you don’t know the Road Race, you don’t know Atlanta.

Steve Holman is the voice of the Atlanta Hawks. Literally, THE voice as he has done 2,385 consecutive games in a row. He began under the tutelage of legendary Celtics announcer Johnny Most and has seen everything from the Human Highlight Reel to the 1996 Olympics.

Bob Reinhart stole the show. His accolades were ridiculous as he coached high school (Decatur HS), college (Georgia State) and the pro (Atlanta Hawks) basketball in his own city. Now a scout for the Miami Heat, he could easily turn to stand up comedy after having the room in hysterics for most of his speech.

Kacy Sager — who worked with several of us at Jocks and Jills Midtown back in the day — and Craig Sager, Jr. honor their father with a great speech. Both are now following in their father’s footsteps on the basketball beat.

]]>https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/craig-sager-keith-brooking-highlight-atlanta-sports-hall-of-fame/feed/0img_6001thewayniacimg_5992img_5985img_5986img_5984img_5994img_6017img_5998img_6018img_6001img_6014img_6007img_6013img_6011img_6016img_6020img_6019gimg_6024Fantasy Hoops: Conquering DFS basketballhttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/fantasy-hoops-conquering-dfs-basketball/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/fantasy-hoops-conquering-dfs-basketball/#respondWed, 15 Feb 2017 15:03:33 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9360Continue reading Fantasy Hoops: Conquering DFS basketball→]]>I know nothing about fantasy basketball. I’ve been playing a lot of quarter and dollar multipliers while I figure it out. Some nights I turn my quarter into $15 finishing in the top five of thousands. Other nights, I feel like I pick the perfect lineup and finish 22,306 out of 25,000.

Like I said, I’m figuring it out.

That being said, I’ll share a few things here daily while I do.

First, obviously, as with any new venture, you do some research. Here are a few guys that seem to have a good feel for DFS basketball.

WILD CARD Daily Fantasy Sports. You can mail them money for more complete picks, but four or five times a week, they post free “Three Must Starts” or “Three Deep Sleepers” for that day. They are pretty accurate. If they would just show the other six slots for free, I’d be a lot richer. You can follow them on every realm of social media, but here’s a link to their website.

I’ve followed James Harrison on Twitter for years. He’s almost all pay for advice now, but he puts a lot of work into injury reports and matchups at The Grandstand. Definitely worth checking in on daily, which I do.

Ok, so tonight’s slate. I pick a team usually by 8 AM. When you are busy like myself, you want to stay in the action to see your mistakes and successes. Like any other game of strategy, there is a system. That being said, I don’t want to ever be out of the game, so I pick a team early and go back and adjust as necessary.

The problem with picking so early in the day is the NBA. They have more late scratches than any other sport. Heck, yesterday I had Terrence Ross in my lineup and he got traded (I changed it, don’t worry). Plus, thanks to Gregg Popovich, the whole NBA is into this rest thing. You have to keep an eye out for how many games in a row in a five-day span a star player has played. If they’ve played three games in five days and have a favorable matchup for their team on the road, you can bet he gets an off night.

Where you really take advantage is the injury report. Look into who is questionable. Then look at their backups. Take Kyle O’Quinn for example. His playing time has increased with the injury to Joakim Noah, and he took advantage of his increased minutes. So have I, riding him for a week or so now. He’s averaging 18.5 fantasy points per game on the year. His last three however, with an increased role, have seen him go for 38, 35 and 20.5. And he is still at a reserve’s cost in the salary department.

Then there are guys like Nick Young. You can get someone like him for about $4500 to $5000. The reason is simple. Some nights he performs like a steal, and drops 40.5 points as he did on February 10th. Then he follows it up with an 18.5 performance, as he did yesterday. He seems to bounce back when he plays consecutive games and performs poorly in the first game, so I rolled the dice that his $4600 price tag has a high ROI.

Everyone else, I look at their matchups. How is the defender playing them? How many points does the opposing team allow a night? Simple things that are provided for you right on the site. Then, especially with the $3500 to $4000 type guys, I take the most consistent. I’ll spend $3500 on a guy that scores 12 fantasy points a night to fill out the roster opposed to a $3200 guy who scored 27.5 points one night and four the next.

Well, there’s my slate for today. Stay tuned for any updates.

]]>https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/fantasy-hoops-conquering-dfs-basketball/feed/0screen-shot-2017-02-15-at-9-07-14-amthewayniacscreen-shot-2017-02-15-at-9-07-14-amThe New York Yankees win in Chris Carter signinghttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/the-new-york-yankees-win-in-chris-carter-signing/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/the-new-york-yankees-win-in-chris-carter-signing/#respondSat, 11 Feb 2017 18:02:32 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9355Continue reading The New York Yankees win in Chris Carter signing→]]>While it appeared that the New York Yankees offseason was done, they made one last move before spring training started.

Despite some backlash on the ol’ intra web, it’s an absolutely brilliant move, with not a thing to lose.

Chris Carter is not necessarily good at baseball. He is below average in the field, whether it be at first base or the outfield. The 30 year old right-handed slugger has struck out 33.5 percent of the time in his career, leading the league in two of the last four seasons. He struck out a mind-boggling 418 times in those two seasons. And yes, he owns a .218 career batting average.

What Carter does well is produce runs. And he does it by the boat load.

Last season, Carter tied for first in the National League with a career-best 41 home runs. That number was sixth best in all of baseball. He hit 147 home runs over the past five seasons — the only five full seasons of his career — which is just under 30 home runs per year.

Carter didn’t come to the Yankees to start at designated hitter or first base. He didn’t even come to the Yankees to platoon. Carter may not even see regular at bats come May when everyone is — hopefully — healthy and gelling.

He came to the Yankees as an insurance policy. And in today’s MLB, $3.5-million for that kind of home run potential is small change.

We’ve had to endure yet another offseason of Yankees fans blabbering about how it’s time for Aaron Judge to take over in right field. It’s not. He’s not ready yet. That’s why he has been working very hard to revamp his swing this offseason.

Should Judge not be comfortable with his new swing mechanics come Opening Day, why rush him? Rushing him will likely make him the next Chris Carter (i.e. Kevin Maas), but patience could make him the next Darryl Strawberry (the young one, not the older Yankees version). This whole argument that he’s already 24 is silly. Age does not determine one’s baseball readiness. Just ask R.A. Dickey and Jacob deGrom.

That leaves Tyler Austin and Aaron Hicks likely roaming right field to start things off, with Greg Bird returning to first and Matt Holliday and his $13-million contract at DH. Nothing in that sentence is certain. Austin and Hicks both have nice attributes but have not yet put them all together at the big league level. Holliday is no sure bet to stay healthy. Bird is also working his way back from shoulder injury.

A few weeks back, I admittedly wrote a piece on Fox Sports saying the Marlins were silly in pursuing Carter. That was because they were considering platooning him with Justin Bour, who needs to be let loose and be the full-time first baseman.

That’s not the case here. Carter is coming in as a safety net to several question marks. Should everything go as planned, Carter becomes a piece for Brian Cashman to play with at the trade deadline. Sure, the Brewers dangled him out there last year and had no bites, but each year is different.

The big picture is the price tag. Holliday cost four times as much to bring in on a one-year deal. 43 year old Bartolo Colon commanded almost the same. Should Carter not work out, they could even cut him loose at no real cost to themselves.

I never understand the backlash on social media to Yankees doings. But it does fuel much of what I write here, so if you can’t beat them join them!

]]>https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/the-new-york-yankees-win-in-chris-carter-signing/feed/0yankeeschampionthewayniacThe Atlanta Braves get larger than life: Welcome to Bartlanta (MLB.com short)https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/the-atlanta-braves-get-larger-than-life-welcome-to-bartlanta-mlb-com-short/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/the-atlanta-braves-get-larger-than-life-welcome-to-bartlanta-mlb-com-short/#respondSat, 11 Feb 2017 16:03:07 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9349Continue reading The Atlanta Braves get larger than life: Welcome to Bartlanta (MLB.com short)→]]>I really don’t need to say anything. If you like Bartolo Colon
— and who doesn’t — this is a must watch (and thank you MLB.com for this brilliant idea. And you know what? Thank you Bartolo, for being you).

WELCOME TO BARTLANTA

]]>https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/the-atlanta-braves-get-larger-than-life-welcome-to-bartlanta-mlb-com-short/feed/0bartolo-colonthewayniacAround the Nation: Yankees, MLB Alternate history, and Braves prospectshttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/around-the-nation-yankees-mlb-alternate-history-and-prospects/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/around-the-nation-yankees-mlb-alternate-history-and-prospects/#respondFri, 10 Feb 2017 16:03:19 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9339Continue reading Around the Nation: Yankees, MLB Alternate history, and Braves prospects→]]>I need to apologize, dear Wayniacs. No need for excuses. I have been busy and have neglected you. I wasn’t even able to throw together a Super Bowl reaction piece, and for that I am sorry.

As always, I am still writing, just elsewhere across the world wide web. Curious as to what I’ve been writing? Take a peek.

The New York Yankees have had rotation woes for close to five years now. They finally have some young arms that may be ready to take over in the Bronx. Who are they? Find out below:

Before Earl “the Pearl” Monroe was a Rookie of the Year with the Baltimore Bullets, before he won a World Championship with the New York Knicks, he was a Division II superstar. I caught up with The Pearl to discuss his 1967 DII season, when he averaged 41.5 points a game to bring home Winston-Salem’s first national title.

I started a series that looks at an Alternate MLB Universe. We discussed a few of baseball’s bigger plays and events. Like Derek Jeter‘s famous Flip Play. What if Jeremy Giambi slid? An outcome of a game wouldn’t have just changed, but so would baseball history.

Don Mattingly was arguably the best player in baseball for five years until his back went out. He stayed on the Hall of Fame ballot for 15 years because of that small window of greatness. What happens if his back stayed healthy?

The Atlanta Braves recently added Adam Brett Walker to their roster. He has swung a big bat for a few years now, one of the biggest bats in the minors actually, but still awaits his big league chance. Will he get that big break in Atlanta?

Speaking of Atlanta Braves, their 2016 third overall pick, Ian Anderson, is set for his Rome Braves debut. He highlights a list of some exciting prospects set to make their South Atlantic League debuts.

Look, we all know where The Thread allegiances stand by now. But that doesn’t mean it’s as easy a pick as you think.

As always, I’ll let them do the talking.

KID ROBOT:

Ok Wayne, here’s a little reverse psychology for you. I’ve been awful at predicting the Super Bowl winners the past couple of years, maybe 0-3? So, I’m picking the Pats to win because of this!!! Let’s go 0-4!!! Rise up Patriots… or something like that!!!

NOMI THE GREEK:

Falcons, 35-24.

Matt Ryan has four touchdown passes and 350 yards. The New England defense can’t slow down Matt Ryan and the offense. Falcons D come up with enough turnovers to limit that NE offense.

NICK THE GREEK:

31-24 Falcons victory.

Matt Ryan is going to get a Super Bowl MVP trophy to put next to his regular season MVP . Atlanta’s defense makes Brady uncomfortable all day with a two sack game from Vic Beasley and finally seal the deal with and interception.

I think the Patriots D will slow the Falcons offense, but in the end Matty Ice and the offense will still be too much. However, I think Matty throws an early interception – but they still come back strong. I think the ATL D steps up and has strong game! I think we get a couple of sacks/strong tackles on Pretty Boy Brady. And I think Taylor Gabriel has two TDs.

Of course, Matty Ice secures the MVP – once and for all no more silly comments.

SAUCY T

Winner: Atlanta Falcons 38-24.

Like they did against the Packers, the Falcons defense will get pressure on Brady up the middle with guys like Grady Jarrett and Ra’shede Hageman forcing Brady to get the ball out quickly, and the Falcons dynamic offense will prove to be too much for New England’s No.1 defense.

MVP: Matt Ryan

Everyone is expecting Belichick to take away Julio, but I think he’ll actually look to stop the dual threat backfield duo first, and dare Matt Ryan to play a perfect game and beat him. I also expect Matt Ryan to do just that and silence the doubters once and for all.

SPERRY MASON:

Falcons win, 36-21.

MVP — Mohamed Sanu. Bill will want to shutdown Julio “Jet” Jones. I could see anyone, honestly, but I think they will try to shutdown Julio and the run game — leaving Sanu wide open!

And lastly…

THE WAYNIAC:

This is the toughest Super Bowl prediction I have ever had to make. On the one side, I have my loyal Thread who I root for the Falcons to see them happy. On the other side, I have The Wifeyiac… and I don’t want to sleep on the couch.

I have gone 1-2 in my Super Bowl predictions in the past. The one time I won, I predicted both the score and said that it would be as exciting as the Rams/ Titans Super Bowl and end on the one-yard line. That was Super Bowl 49. The Patriots won. Anyone remember how?

Russell Westbrook not starting in the #NBAAllStar game is almost as crazy as not running the ball on the 1 w/ a Super Bowl on the line.

So, what do we have? We have an Atlanta Falcons offense that finished the regular season second in Total Offense at 415.8 yards per game and first in Scoring Offense at 33.8 points a game. Then, we have the New England Patriots, who led the NFL in Scoring Defense, allowing just 15.6 points a game, while allowing 326.4 yards a game.

Behind center, we have Matt Ryan. Ryan is the NFL MVP no matter what the results show tomorrow night. He hasn’t thrown an interception in six weeks, throwing 18 touchdowns over that span. Across the field, is the GOAT. Tom Brady, appearing in his seventh Super Bowl, is well, Tom Brady. He’s thrown two interceptions in the past six weeks, both coming in the same game against the NFL’s No. 1 defense (and there’s your Houston Texans reference).

Sometimes, it doesn’t come down to who’s better, because in all honesty, I think the Patriots are. They are more well-rounded, with a fast and electric defense, pretty solid special teams when Dion Lewis is playing smart, and obviously an offense that is so difficult simply because you can’t prepare for who will explode from week-to-week.

Sometimes, it just comes down to who’s time it is. We’ve seen it plenty of times before throughout the annals of sports history. The Cinderella story, the David and Goliath comparisons. This city is dying for a championship. I would argue that outside of Cleveland — who came so close in baseball, and so far in football, and the whole LeBron thing almost seems to not count — no other fan base in the country needs this win more than Atlanta, who’s city has taken an — excuse the French — ass-whippin’ from the media around the nation.

The Falcons come out pumped and dominate the first half, 21-10. Bill Belichick, as he always does, makes the proper adjustments and we roll into the final three minutes of this game with the Falcons trailing 34-28. Matt Ryan gets the ball and solidifies his nickname, showing there is Ice in his veins.

Falcons win, 35-34 in the single most exciting Super Bowl in the history of the game.

Well, it’s that, or they just get blown out of NRG Field, but I’m hoping for the former.

]]>https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/03/the-4th-annual-wayniac-nation-super-bowl-prediction-special/feed/4chin092913patsfalcons_spt53-11168-10818thewayniac10 best player never to win a World Serieshttps://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/01/10-best-player-never-to-win-a-world-series/
https://thewayniac.wordpress.com/2017/02/01/10-best-player-never-to-win-a-world-series/#commentsWed, 01 Feb 2017 15:03:11 +0000http://wayniacnation.com/?p=9323Continue reading 10 best player never to win a World Series→]]>Yesterday was Ernie Banks birthday. Mr. Cub would have been 86 years old. It got me thinking. Banks of course played one of the toughest careers in the game, playing 19 years with the Chicago Cubs and never once seeing the post season.

So which other superstars ended historic careers without winning a World Series?

Ernie Banks is the unluckiest of the bunch. Most on the list had been to the World Series at least once. Many of them had been to the playoffs multiple times. Banks was so good, he would win back-to-back MVP Awards in 1958 and 1959 for fifth place teams.

His 512 career home runs made him a no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Famer. His class would make him one of the most lovable losers in the history of sport. Sadly, he passed away in 2015 before seeing his beloved Cubbies break the curse of that dang goat.

Rod Carewwas another legend whose postseason career was a very brief one. He was one of the best hitters the game has ever seen. Carew won the American League batting title seven times, and in a five-year span he led all of MLB four times. He led MLB in hits twice, getting over 200 four times. Most remarkably, he walked ten less times than he struck out in a career that saw 10,550 plate appearances.

Carew’s 1967 MVP year was insane. He led the MLB in runs (128), hits (239) average (.388), OBP (.449), OPS (1.019) and led the AL with 16 triples. Playing for the Angels and Twins, Carew never saw a World Series. His 3,053 hits made him a first ballot Hall of Famer anyway.

If Carew was one of the best hitters of all time,Ted Williams is arguably the best. Teddy Ballgame put up some of the most insane stats, all while missing three years in the prime of his career to serve our country in two wars.

Williams resume? Honestly, you could saw he won TWO Triple Crowns and the conversation could end there. But then you have to bring up that he is the last person to hit .400 in MLB history (.406 in 1941). Or that he led baseball in a statistical category 42 times in his career.

He had two MVP Awards. He narrowly missed a third one to the New York Yankees Joe Collins, despite winning the Triple Crown that season. He was a walks machine whose .482 on base percentage is the best in the history of the game. Had he played those three years he served, his numbers would be close to untouchable.

Aside from the World Series wins. That he never had.

How does one win SEVEN MVP Awards and never win a World Series? You have the bad luck of Barry Bonds, that’s how. What needs to be said about Bonds? Either you accept him as one of the best hitters in the game, or you think he cheated baseball history. At this point, you are likely set in your ways, and there is no converting to the other side.

Me? I think he was one of the scariest figures in baseball lore. I think his 762 home runs have earned him the right to be in the Hall of Fame. I watched skinny Barry Bonds play baseball in Pittsburgh, and that guy was unstoppable. Either way you cut it, PEDs didn’t make Bonds hit the ball, it just made his insane power go farther.

Bonds biggest negative was that he was mean, especially to the media. So perhaps his World Series shortcomings was his ultimate reward. Or it is hereditary, as his father never won a World Series either.

You didn’t think you would see an article on Wayniac Nation that doesn’t reference Tony Gwynnin this category. Anyone who has followed this blog knows that Gwynn was my favorite player ever. But he certainly was a good one.

Gwynn was as consistent as they come. He led the league in hitting eight times, and batted over .300 for the last 19 seasons of his 20-year career. He led the league in hits seven times, and had 200 or more hits five times. That includes his age-37 season in which he led the MLB with 220 hits and .372 average.

The most amazing stat Gwynn had? From 1991 to 1999 Gwynn, who had at least 450 plate appearances in each of those seasons, struck out LESS THAN 20 times eight out of the nine years. Think about that. He struck out less times in nine seasons than Chris Carter did last year. In 1998, he almost finished the season with more home runs than strikeouts, blasting 16 and striking out 18 times.

Gwynn did appear in two World Series and was a beast, particularly in the 1998 Fall Classic against the Yankees. He batted .500 and hit an uncharacteristic moon shot in Yankees Stadium.

He was mean. But he could hit. But Ty Cobb, The Georgia Peach if you would, never won a World Series. Cobb registered more hits than any other Hall of Famer in the game (I know, I know) and has the highest batting average of all time at .366.

Cobb has a Triple Crown (of course he only needed nine home runs to win it back then) and an MVP Award. He hit over .380 seven times in his career, including back-to-back seasons in which he hit above .400. Yet at the end of the day, Cobb’s Detroit Tigers lost three consecutive World Series from 1907 to 1909.

The Yaz. Carl Yastrzemski was simply a professional hitter. 3,419 hits will prove that. Early in his career, he had elite power, winning a Triple Crown in 1967. His power faded quickly though, and while he remained a 15-home run-type hitter, he fell short of 500 home runs, a mark he was well on pace for early in his career.

Yaz played 23 years, all with Boston. Not one of them ended with a ring.

Harmon Killebrew— aside from having one of the cooler names in baseball history — led the league in home runs six times and blasted 40 or more eight times in his career. He was a run producing machine by the time he settled into the big leagues.

It took 12 years from his debut until the Senators/Twins reached the World Series for him. It would be the only time in his career, as they lost to the Dodgers.

I always take heat when I say this, but Robin Yountwas kind of always a bit overrated to me when it came to all-time greats. Maybe overrated is the wrong word. He had a lot of Craig Biggio appeal, someone who got the job done, but was kind of boring along the way.

If the Brew Crew of the early and mid-80s had pitching depth, they would have won more World Series. Yount was amid bashers like Ted Simmons, Cecil Cooper, Gorman Thomas, Ben Oglivie and fellow Hall of Famer Paul Molitor. In Yount’s 1982 MVP campaign, five Brewers smashed over 20 home runs, three of which were over 30. You youngsters may not see the big deal in that, but in the 80s, it was.

That year would be Yount’s lone World Series. He was magnificent, batting .414 with a home run. Alas, they lost to the Cardinals. Yount would never fade, winning another MVP Award for the 1989 Brewers club that finished fourth with an 81-81 record. His 3,142 hits gained him first ballot entry into Cooperstown, but there is no ring on his plaque.

Like Banks, The Kid never played in a World Series in his 22 year career. Ken Griffey, Jr. took the world by storm from the second he stepped on a baseball field. 630 home runs later he became one of the closest to a unanimous first ballot Hall of Famer (99.3 percent) there has been. He still had that child like smile. The hat is probably still backwards on his head. But no World Series ring.

Junior led the league in home runs for three consecutive seasons, a span in which he blasted 160 home runs. He was always injury prone, but 2000 was the game changer. He would play 12 more years but he was half The Kid he was early on. There is no question Griffey would have come close to 800 home runs if he stayed healthy.

Honorable mention? Jim Thome and Willie McCovey combined for 1133 home runs and zero World Series rings. Poor guys.